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Tag Archives: Laminate floor Installation tips

Did you know that glueless laminate floor planks have more than one tongue and groove? How does this affect the installation? If you are familiar with hardwood floor installation, and you thought laminate floor installation is easier, you could be in for a big surprise unless you take the time to study the floor locking mechanism before you start. Therefore, using the most common kind of glueless-click laminate flooring, we illustrate the tongue and groove locking mechanism and an easy-to-remember 3 tapping installation procedure. To complete the process, we will discuss how to modify this 3 tapping method under a few special conditions or configurations. If you have flooring with a different kind of locking mechanism, based on the process described here, you can easily modify for your own 3 tapping method.

Many times we buy a lot of tools when we start an DIY project. Some of the tools can be used elsewhere, but some of the tools are so specialized they will never be used again in other projects. If you are able to share tools among different projects, of course it will be more economical in the long term and you will have a less crowded tool shed. For those tools only limited to the laminate flooring installation, we have tested them and listed their prices. We also discuss whether you may use alternative tools or make the tools yourself.

Anyway, whether you already have a lot of tools from other projects, or have only limited tools this video would should suit your needs. We first discuss tools specialized for laminate flooring installation. And then we will list type of tools that are needed, i.e. the function of the tools that are needed so that you may match your existing tools inventory with the goal of the installation. If you don’t have many tools and you are not installing large areas, we will show you how to make some of the specialized tools. Note that a few tools at the beginning of the list are essential for this type of installation, while other tools later in the list may or may not be used depending on your requirement/configuration. This list focuses on the installation function; safety related items such as goggles, face mask and knee pads are not listed.

How can you have almost zero waste when you install laminate or engineered wood flooring? The laminate flooring salespeople recommend allowing for at least 5% waste. Still, when I installed the flooring from left to right, often I found the right plank was too short and I had to undo the whole row and start all over again. Thus even figuring I will waste 5% of materials (thus money), I can not guarantee I will not also waste time.

In this video, I will show you a very easy simple 4-step process that will not only allow you to save the material (the money) but also the time. In fact, the layout of the whole room can be predicted before the actual installation.